Whether you're a musician or simply an avid music enthusiast, the phrase "music theory" must have come across your path at some point- usually followed by words such as scales, chords, modes, intervals, tuplet patterns, secondary dominants, Lydian sequences, and other gibberish that seems like it would take years and years of comprehensive study and practice to even begin to crack the surface.

I'm not going to lie to you- if you are coming from a background of no music experience then it will take you years of comprehensive study and practice for you to develop the skill set necessary to see practical application of these concepts. That said, if you decide right here and right now to devote yourself to taking fifteen minutes out of your daily to work on it, then the results you will see will blow your mind.

I'm sure you've heard that studying music is like learning a language, and that is excellent analogy- music is a very fluid language with varying dialects for every style and subgenre, understood on an international level.

But for me, learning music theory is more like... well, lifting weights. When you first start working out, you put yourself through mind numbing exercises, straining muscles and areas of your body that you've never used before. You have to learn a new vocabulary- words like biceps and laterals and barbells and reps, and you have to make sure you're working at pace that is healthy and appropriate for your body and your goals. And for several hard months you will not see significant change. You won't grow giant muscles to impress the ladies and you won't be incredibly stronger. But then, one day, you will wake up and discover that your muscle is slightly bulging and all of a sudden you can add five pounds to your routine.

This is very similar to learning concepts under the expansive subject of music theory. And the key to mastery is... commitment. We live in a world full of distractions and if you can find a way to sit yourself down every day, pull out a sheet of staff paper and knuckle down on your "homework," then one day it may click how that Lydian b7 scale could fit into your solo during the bridge section of your fusion band's new song.

Being a musician and having no basis in music theory is like trying to write a book with a vocabulary of four words. You have four great, very specific ways to express yourself... but guess what? Everyone else knows those same four words too and you probably aren't saying everything that you really want with such a limited pool of options.

Now imagine a vocabulary of words more vast than you count and more specific to each subject and topic you want to write about. Music theory can explain abstract, alien musical ideas and concepts that you wish you could express but didn't know how.

By no means does studying theory replace or counteract the "art" of music. You will not lose your rebellious punk persona, or you're soul-filled love sound if you understand the function of sound and the organization of notes that defines most popular styles of music.

In every way, learning theory will bring you closer to expressing your inner musical passion.

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The goal of this article and the series of subsequent "chapters" will be to break down the major components of western, tertian music, into practical exercise based lessons. For the most part this will not be genre-specific, nor instrument specific, so any music lover should be able to appreciate its application. I will be incorporating images, videos and audio tutorials into the articles and even giving mini-quizzes with answer sheets. If you are dedicated to learning and keep up with the articles at the pace that I write them then you should be able to reap the benefits almost immediately. I will try to address and edit the articles to answer any questions that I receive, either via email or the comment boxes and will gladly listen to suggestions or concerns.

Besides for a working internet connection, and access to this site, all you'll really need is a few sheets of music staff paper and a pencil with a durable eraser. You can find the paper at any local music store, in binders, reams, or stacks and with various formatting options. Basic staff paper is fine; you won't need special tablature pages or fretboard sheets. If you can't find or don't want to purchase staff paper, I've attached a blank staff page image file below. Simply click on the thumbnail and it should open in a separate window. You can print off as many copies of this as you like- just make sure to adjust you printer to the appropriate size.

NOTE: If you have notation software I do not recommend using it at the moment. Part of working with music is to understand the art and craft of penmanship and manual writing. It's easy to have the computer do everything- instead let's start from scratch and truly understand what it is the computer does.

It would help if you have your instrument available, though it is not required to understand the lessons. I will include audio and video examples that should allow you to understand the lesson, but nothing can replace the ability to play the examples yourself and experiment with them on your own. Either way you should have working speakers and a fast enough computer to play the audio and video files.

Think of these pages like a workbook. As you progress through chapters, consider reviewing the early chapters after each lesson. Think of your knowledge base like a pyramid- your foundation should always be bigger than the top. As you stack on new, advanced concepts, make sure the basic ones below are sound and intact.

For example- if we are talking about modes and you don't understand where the notes we are discussing came from, backtrack to the section on the major scale and refresh your memory.

If you ever feel lost and confused- look for the roots of what's causing the problem and find the previous chapter that focused on that. If even then you feel lost feel free to comment or email me and I will do my best to help.

Without further ado- I give you Music Theory Made Easy!

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